Babysitting
by Grace Veronica
Summary: Sirius frowned. “We’re not babysitting, Moony, don’t try and guilttrip me.”I moved to stand behind him and linked my arms around his neck. “Please?”'Remus and Sirius babysit Harry.
1. Chapter 1

James was visiting us, to discuss Order developments.

In recognition of this rare event, Sirius was sitting. He loved James' visits, which had been occurring less and less frequently now that Harry had been born.

Of course, Sirius didn't bother to enquire as to how Harry or Lily was, when James turned up unexpectedly one Tuesday morning. Sirius had problems with James' absence - what Sirius determined as neglect of his best friend - and was happy to blame them on his godson. I don't think James was comfortable with it, but I think it was easiest to blame the child - rather than admit that James had finally grown up, and Sirius was trying to live in the past.

We weren't accustomed to guests. I wouldn't have liked it if we were – the house was barely furnished and cramped, but it was home.

I busied myself making tea, while James and Sirius furiously argued about the latest happenings with the war. Snippets of conversation floated to my ears.

"…And there's been more murders – Dumbledore thinks the giants are involved," James said.

"Giants? I don't understand why we don't know any of this stuff. Not trustworthy…" I could sense Sirius' tone – he was pissed.

"You know why, they need Moony as a spy if Greyback gets involved, and they can't see you two gallivanting off together, it's just more of a reason to kill you, isn't it?"

"I guess."

But Sirius seemed unconvinced, and directed his frustration at me, rather than James. "Can't you hurry up, Moony? Merlin."

I carried the cups of tea over to the wooden table, covered in scratches and ink.

James thanked me, but Sirius remained silent.

They continued to talk, and I sat and listened – the way it always had been, and would be.

After his untouched cup of tea turned cold, Sirius excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Once out of earshot, James turned to me. "You guys alright?"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't really know, he doesn't talk a lot."

James put a hand to my shoulder.

"He wants to help. And he doesn't get to, really," I went on. "It'll pass."

James smiled. "Yeah."

Sirius re-entered the kitchen and James hurriedly pulled his hand off me.

We sat quietly, mulling in our own thoughts until James broke the silence.

"I've got an idea," he said.

Sirius looked over. "Yeah?"

"You two can baby sit Harry."

Sirius snorted. "Great."

"Show some enthusiasm, Padfoot. It's not every day you get to mind your only godson."

I cupped my chin in my hands, elbows resting on the table. "What do you think, Sirius? It could be good. Fun, even."

Sirius made a non-committal grunt.

Soon after, James departed. I suppose it wasn't wise for him to linger in one place too long, but Sirius' mood put a dampen on his arrival.

Once the door was safely shut behind James, Sirius spoke.

"There's no fucking way."

"What?"  
"No fucking way we're baby sitting," Sirius looked disgusted even as he said it.

"Why not?"

"Because… Who does he think we are? A married couple? We don't like children."

"I do," I said.

Sirius frowned. "We're not baby-sitting, Moony, don't try and guilt-trip me."

I moved to stand behind him and linked my arms around his neck. "Please?"

Sirius tilted his head so he was looking into my eyes. "What did I just say about the guilt-trips?"

"I'll be your best friend."

Sirius' answer was lost in my mouth, but I took it for a yes.


	2. Chapter 2

When James gave us Harry to mind a few days later, he came accompanied with a rather long list of do's and don'ts. I gladly received the child, and Sirius began chatting with James while I perused the list that was clearly written in Lily's hand.

Finally, Sirius and James had caught up sufficiently, and I passed Harry over to Sirius, who walked him into the living room.

James lowered his voice, "Make sure Sirius doesn't give him whisky, or something. And don't let him, you know… Corrupt him."

"I don't think he's that irresponsible."

James hugged me. "Hope it goes okay today."

"Me too," I said, wishing harder than I'd ever let on.

"Good luck," said James, and closed the door behind himself.

Then I heard the yelp.

"What? What is it?" I asked, already worried we'd broken the tiny boy.

"He hurt me."

"How? He barely has teeth!"

"He pulled my tail," Sirius looked up at me sheepishly, a young boy sitting next to him, staring avidly at where a dog had been moments before.

"Well, what do you expect? Honestly, if you're going to transform, then you have to suffer the consequences," I said, exasperated.


	3. Chapter 3

The day followed in much the same fashion – Sirius managing to get 'severely injured' by a child who didn't understand the meaning of the words, and me entertaining them both with toys I'd managed to find in a cardboard box I'd brought with me from my parent's house.

Finally, Sirius, Harry and I sat together, building what could only be described as a small city.

I stood up as Sirius put the final touches on what he had called a castle. "Fancy a cup of tea?" I asked.

Sirius looked up at me and nodded.

Harry followed Sirius' gaze, and held up his arms towards me. "Up." He said, simply.

I reached over and placed him onto my hip, gently bouncing him up and down.

"God, Moony, you're so good with him." Sirius stood slowly, groaning. "I think the little bastard made me sprain something."

"Sirius, you can't stay stuff like that around him. What'll Lily think if we return him all swear-y and… Like you," I said.

"And why would that be a bad thing, Moony?" Sirius asked, wrapping an arm around my waist, and leaning terribly close.

"Because – Would you stop it?" I snapped, hurriedly trying to avoid his lips, James' words ringing in my ears. "Not in front of the baby!"

Sirius pulled his arm away from me. "What?"

"I said, not in front of him," I said, but altogether more quietly. I knew I'd made a mistake.

Sirius' tone was like acid. "What? Because it might disgust him? He doesn't even understand!"

"Neither do I!" I shouted in a whisper. "Why do you even have to do it when he's around? It's like you're – You're marking your territory!"

Sirius laughed, argument forgotten. "Damn straight."

This time I couldn't avoid his lips, and I didn't really want to. Sirius' hands wound around my neck and mine still supported Harry, sitting patiently on my side, barely noticed us.

He pulled away, and leant his forehead against mine.

"Don't say shit like that, Moony. Harry should know that you're my bitch, as early as he can."

"Fine, but can you stop swearing?"

Sirius nodded, then as he made to sit back on the floor, whispered words into Harry's ear that I tried to block out.

I looked at Harry. "Lunch?" I asked, and received a bark from the transformed Sirius.

Pushing the dog back with my foot, I made my way into the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

He was asleep on our rather ragged couch. Harry's small frame rose up and down as he breathed. One of his hands rested behind his head, the other, curled slightly, had fallen towards the floor.

I watched from the bedroom, leaning against the doorway.

It was moments like these that I fully appreciated Sirius' beauty. He was always handsome, but sometimes… Sometimes he was beautiful. He looked oddly unlike himself – graceful, poised, and completely unaware of his surroundings.

Harry, too, looked so…right, with Sirius. They were inexplicably similar.

Harry's fist tightened around Sirius' shirt, stirring the latter. He blinked sleepily, and saw me watching the two of them.

He carefully lifted up his arm and beckoned me over, motioning for me to shift Harry.

I happily obliged, and carried Harry carefully to the bed Sirius and I shared, laid him down, and watched him for a minute before returning to Sirius, whose eyes were fluttering with sleep.

I climbed without invitation on top of Sirius, and placed my head onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Oof, Moony. You're getting heavy," Sirius said, every word resonating through his torso.

He slid the arm supporting his head over me.

"Aren't James and Lily lucky?" I breathed, my mind still with Harry.

"Fairly. What with us around to baby-sit, and what not."

I turned onto my stomach, so we were lying face to face. "You know what I mean. He's so perfect," I sighed, "When can we get one?"

"Hate to break it to you, Moony, but never," Sirius said, "Even if it was physically possible, who'd want something like that, "here he lifted up his free hand and gestured towards the bedroom, "Every minute of the day?"

"I miss him, already," I muttered.

"You're not only getting heavy, you're getting soft in the head, Moony. He's five metres away. Look, if you tilt your head like this, you can see him," Sirius demonstrated. "But, you know, while he's asleep, I can think of a perfectly brilliant thing to do to make up the time."

He bent forward so as to brush his lips against mine. "Up for it?" He asked quietly.

"Should we?" I felt guilty, knowing, once again, that this was the sort of thing James was worrying about this morning.

Sirius chose to ignore my question, and instead wrapped both his arms around me, and swung a leg over the back of my thighs.

I growled in the way that Sirius loves so much, and he moaned throatily.

He pulled my shirt down around my shoulders, then flipped us over so he was laying on top of me. He eagerly ripped his own shirt over his head, and beamed down at me.

He began kissing my face, working his way over my neck and throat.

In between kisses, he murmured, "I think we should baby-sit more often."


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Harry woke up, Sirius and I had both dressed. I was reading, my head in his lap, while Sirius watched me contently when a cry began to sound from the bedroom.

"Gods, Moony, do something," Sirius said, putting his hands over his ears.

I reluctantly shifted from my seat, to quiet the screaming boy.

He wouldn't shut up for a while, and I had to forcibly restrain Sirius from performing a Silencing Charm on him, but after a few minutes, his cries lessened.

I had found another box from my parent's house, this one full of old books, and Sirius pulled them out for Harry to amuse himself with.

Sirius rummaged through the pile of old, tattered books and lifted up one with a large illustration of two rabbits on the front.

"Will you read this to me, Moony?"

I looked at it. "'Guess How Much I Love You?' Isn't this a bit of a baby book, Sirius?"

"Yeah, but please?" He sat on the couch and patted the seat next to him, "Please, Moony?"

"Fine." I picked up Harry, and put him on Sirius' lap. "He can listen too." As I began reading, Sirius clutching Harry around his middle, his black eyes staring, entranced.

"Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening."

I kept reading to them, both sitting incredibly still, until the book ended.

"…Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon – and back."

I closed the book with a snap. "There you are, Sirius." And as I looked over at him, there were tears in his eyes.

"My God, Sirius, what's wrong?" I slung an arm around his shoulder, and he buried his face into my chest. I gently let Harry slide to the floor, where he picked up another book and immersed himself in it.

"Padfoot?" I whispered, scared of his reaction.

He turned himself over, so he who was lying in my lap. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, baby. Why?" I tried to keep my tone light, and comforting.

"I-I'm sorry for being so –so rubbish to be around lately. I-I miss J-James," he said, voice racked with sobs.

I began stroking his hair, the way he had done to me so many times. "You're not in the least bit rubbish."

"I l-love you so-so much, Moony. You know, that story was f-for us, yeah?" He said, trying to smile.

I laughed. "It's a book about rabbits, Sirius. The closest you come to a rabbit is, if I remember correctly, that you've chased a fair few as a dog."

He began to laugh as well. "I mean, the whole 'I love you' thing. I don't say it as much as I should. And-and… I love you up to the moon and back, even when you're Moony and n-not Remus."

"Am I ever Remus to you? I should hope not, it's an awful name," I said, simply glad that Sirius seemed to be back to himself.

He threw his arms around my neck and kissed me.

Then, rolling off the couch, he glanced back towards me, and joined Harry on the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

It was dark, and Sirius was showering when James came to pick Harry up.

Harry was scooped into his father's arms immediately, and James looked relieved to find him in one piece.

"Doubted our ability to handle him?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all," James said, smiling, "How'd it go with Sirius?"

"Perfect."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Good. Thanks for today, Moony."

"No problem. I should probably thank you. Say hi to Lily for us."

James left the apartment, talking to Harry as if he were another adult. I shut the door behind him and leant up against it, sighing. It was a very trying day, but well worth it.

I made my way to the bathroom, where I could hear Sirius bellowing a tuneless tune over the roar of the water.

Smiling slightly, I opened the door and slipped inside.


End file.
